What came over me this time? Why, I’ve never done anything like this before!

I remember it distinctly. It was the Wednesday night before Thanksgiving a few years ago. We were leaving early the next morning to fly to Pennsylvania to be with Stephen’s family. I suddenly realized I had nothing to contribute to the festive meal except my appetite. Mother taught me better than that. I needed to come up with something to take along!

So, feeling in a holiday mood and a bit like Henrietta Homemaker, I decided to make my world famous Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies. “I’ve got so much work to do,” I thought, “but I’m woman-hear-me-roar, so I’ll have time to whip up a few dozen of those soft, moist, chewy family favorites before bedtime and still get a few other things done.”

Set the oven, mix the dough, drop them on the cookie sheet, slide cookie sheet in the oven.  I’m a master of multi-tasking so I’ll do other chores while cookies are baking. Repeat three times.

Back to the kitchen. Cool cookies.  Pack them to travel.  Hmm! Doesn’t look like five dozen to me. Ok, we ate a few while they were warm. Not to worry.  There’s still lots to take to the family.

Fast forward four weeks.

I’m feeling like Henrietta Homemaker again. Why not fix dinner and surprise Stephen that I can still cook. I’ll fix that quick chicken dish.

Preheat oven while I prepare gourmet meal. Oven’s ready. Mmmmm. It sure smells good in here and I haven’t even put the chicken in the oven yet.

Open oven door to put chicken dish in.

Yikes! What’s that? Can’t be. No way. I don’t do these kinds of things!

Why it’s. . . it’s . . . it’s a sheet of Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies! When did I bake those? Oh my gosh. It was a month ago! Thanksgiving!  I left those cookies in the oven for a month? No wonder that batch looked so small. Here’s the rest of them! Perched on the cookie sheet like little brown hockey pucks! 

Oh, we’re just so busy!

Are you harried? Over scheduled? Overwhelmed? Are you trying to do too much in too short a time? Is your to-do list longer than a child’s Christmas wish list? Do you speed up, thinking you can do more? Have your multi-tasking skills gone haywire?

Some call it efficiency. Some call it hurry sickness. Some might even call it our changing times.  Whatever you call it, the fact is, we do so many things without paying attention to what we are actually doing. We’re off somewhere in an unconscious zone so much of the time.

My story is about cookies. Yours may be about reports, meetings, clients or family. One friend told me that she took her mother to the grocery store and forgot her there!

We do much of our day on automatic pilot and wonder where the time goes. “I just got up, how can it be time to go to bed?” “Did I eat lunch?” “What happened at that meeting?” “Oh my goodness, here’s my driveway and I don’t remember driving home!”

Scary, isn’t it. We all have trouble staying present to the moment. Our thoughts rush by and we can’t catch them.  We seem to be living in the past or focusing several steps into the future and we miss so much of what’s happening right now, in the precious present.

Ghandi said, “Wherever you are, make sure you are there.”  So…Where are YOU? Are you present to the moment? 

Step Up!

- Look that colleague in the eye when you talk to her

- Listen fully on the phone instead of doing paper work or email at the same time

- Put down the iPhone or Blackberry when in a meeting

- Leave some blank space on your calendar for spontaneous interruptions

- Send a hand written thank you note when you think how grateful you are to that physician for those referrals

- Hug your child for a full 10 seconds.

- Put the paper down when your spouse asks you a question.

- Take the cookies out of the oven when they are finished baking. (Click here for recipe)

Being present to the moment is a gift you give yourself and the other person.  Live fully! Work joyfully, be thankful. . . constantly.

Step Up! It’s what leaders do.

To our Clients, Friends, and Advocates,

     With Thanksgiving just a day away, we want to take this opportunity to recognize those who have been so important to us this year.  Thank you for all you have done to help make this year one of our most gratifying.  We sincerely appreciate you as both our customer and our partner.

     Home Care in America is an amazing and rewarding business and we're delighted to contribute in our own small way.  We are so grateful to have an opportunity to share our talents and resources to help home care companies grow their businesses and get ready for the future.

     May the coming year bring both gratification and prosperity in knowing that you have made a difference in the lives of your patients, your clients, your caregivers and your communities.  We truly believe that the work you're doing is so very important.

Very Best Regards,

The Leading Home Care Team

Stephen Tweed       Elizabeth Jeffries
Jason Tweed           Julie Raque
Diane West             Diane Buckles

Here's a personal Thanksgiving video message from Stephen Tweed